Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Chapter 2

Gavin was furious at the ridiculous proposal. “A game? You think I’m going to bet my wife’s life on a fucking game??”

Compared to him, Athos was much calmer. So far everything has been as he thought. The captain was already severely injured and emotionally shaken, without Athos torturing him.

Athos wanted him to suffer, not only physically, but psychologically as well.

“Yes, I think you will, captain. Because if you don’t play with me, I’ll kill your wife right now.” Athos did not wait for his answer and drew his sword. He impaled the sword through her stomach to the hilt.

“ARGHHHHHHHH!” She woke with shock and pain, screaming at the top of her lungs. She writhed in pain on the floor, not understanding what was happening.

“No! What did you do, you bastard? You said you didn’t hurt anyone outside of your revenge!” Gavin squirmed in the chains, watching helplessly as she suffered.

“Did I forget to say? I’m a hypocrite.” Athos said with a shrug as he poked at the hilt of his sword. He laughed every time she moaned in pain.

.....

“Captain, I have healing potions that can save her, you know? If you play with me, I can save her.” Athos said, knowing the captain would be unable to refuse him.

The captain ground his teeth and nodded. “Please save her. I’ll play with you.”

“Great! I thought you’d be a little more stubborn. I’m glad you’re opening up to me just like your wife opened up.” Athos laughed at his joke, as he removed the sword from her stomach. He took hold of the sword’s hilt and pulled it all out at once, making the wound spurt blood.

The captain’s wife began to spasm, while blood was foaming at the mouth. Athos didn’t mind this, picking up healing potions of different ranks and randomly pouring them over the wounds.

The wounds began to heal, but it was done irregularly. The cut skin regenerated first, closing the wound, but the hole in her stomach remained open, causing internal bleeding.

Acid and bile leaked out of the stomach and without having any outlet, accumulated inside the body and spread throughout the body through the bloodstream. Athos had not done this on purpose, but unintentionally, he sentenced her to a slow and painful death.

“Did you heal her?” Not knowing any of this, Gavin asked worried about his wife’s condition. He was relieved to see how quickly the wound had closed and hoped she could live another day.

“Now that she’s healed, shall we start our game?” Said Athos, crushing his hopes.

Athos knew she was not cured, but he said nothing. That would be the icing on the cake, the final blow to break the captain.

“The game is simple. I ask a question and you answer, then you ask a question and I answer. You must be full of questions, right? It’s your chance to get the answers you want.” Athos smiled brightly at him.

“What’s the trick?” Gavin didn’t buy that smile, looking suspicious.

“You’re very suspicious, you know? It’s very simple. Every time I feel like you’re lying, I’m going to dismember your wife.” Athos’s smile went from brilliant to devilish in an instant. He pointed at the shredded nun on the floor, to emphasize his point.

“You crazy bastard-” Gavin started to curse, but Athos interrupted. “Understand one thing, captain. You will die here. Regardless of what you do or say, I will kill you.

But your wife may still survive. I don’t give a damn if she dies or not, my business is with you. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. If you cooperate with me, she can live.” Athos said seriously, as he looked into the captain’s eyes. His face became an emotionless stone mask, no trace of his brilliant or devilish smile.

“...” Gavin closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. He opened his eyes a while later, determined to at least save his wife from this horrible situation.

“Glad you made up your mind.” Athos nodded, before returning to his playful expression. “As the guy holding the sword, I start. Captain, who are the guards that carried my mother to the guillotine?”

“Mark and Leonel. They both live in the barracks dormitory.” Gavin already imagined what Athos wanted when he suggested that game. He was willing to sell his friends if it could save his wife.

The shock and dread of seeing his wife’s limbs in a jar were still fresh in his mind. Mainly because the nun’s pieces were still at her feet.

Athos nodded, saving the information. “Your time.”

“Where are we? I know we’re underground, but I’ve never seen this place in town.”

“We are below the sewers. I found this place by accident, to be honest. There are monsters called rock worms and they created these tunnels. They feed on the slimes that live in the sewers and use their abilities towards the earth to erase their tracks, so it’s very difficult to detect them.”

“I understood.” That was all Gavin could say, his expression grim. This place only existed because of your neglect to patrol the sewers.

“My turn. How is the baron’s security?”

“The baron’s guard is made up of former e~d-class adventurers and their leader is a c-class, comparable to me in combat.”

“That won’t be a problem.” Athos said with scorn.

“-But the strongest is that mage named Ricley. I never saw him fighting seriously. but when he was hired by the baron, the leader of the personal guard challenged him and Ricley mopped the floor with it, with no elemental magic. After that, no one dared to challenge him again.”

“...this could be a problem,” Athos said with a troubled expression.

“My turn, brat. Did you burn the church down?” Gavin asked with a stern expression.

“Yes, it was me. I needed a distraction.” Athos shrugged, treating the matter as irrelevant.

They continued with the questions and answers for a while, Gavin never daring to lie. Athos asked about the guards, the church, and anything else he thought he might need.

After approximately 1 hour, Athos finally had all his questions answered. He now knew the guards’ patrol route, the secret deals with favela gangs, the baron’s corruption, and even the church’s child trafficking deals.

“Man, the whole town sucks! Is everyone involved in some crime?” Athos asked, half puzzled and half angry. He cared about the townspeople as much as he cared about a rock in the middle of the road, but the idea that every influential person in town was involved in some crime irritated him.

“What do you expect from a small backwater town, halfway across the border with a country of demihumans, two weeks away from any other town? Small towns like ours are ruled by crime.” Gavin lifted one corner of his lips in disgust.

“Well, our little game is over, captain. It was fun while it lasted, your honesty surprised me.” Athos smiled at him, taking a toolbox from the corner of the room. There were pliers, blades, hammers, needles, etc...

“Are you going to let my wife live as you promised?” Gavin asked anxiously.

“I promise. Now is the time for OUR fun.” Athos smiled as Gavin straightened his posture, bracing himself for whatever Athos might do.